As the IT industry enters the Information on Demand era, the role of the researcher is rapidly evolving to meet a convergence of new challenges and opportunities. At the heart of this transformation is the growing demand for technology and solutions that enable customers to make better, more informed business decisions by turning information into valuable insight.

To meet the requirements of these emerging market demands, researchers increasingly have to think “outside the box” to ensure that their work is useful to their customers. Unfortunately, many researchers are unsure about how to go about accomplishing this important goal. Hence, researchers need to draw a line to differentiate between what they have mastered and areas in which they have to explore further and seek collaboration to achieve their objective.

In order to fully appreciate and understand the needs of customers, I always remind my research teams to spend time with their clients discussing and assessing their business challenges. For an organization to become demand-responsive, it needs to integrate people, processes, and information across its functional units and its ecosystem.

This involves gathering information, designing processes, and then using them to empower the people who can solve business problems, thus allowing them to make faster, more informed decisions.

Today, so much of the work that goes on in research across the world is tied up with generating ideas and writing papers, which results in people eventually neglecting to put their important ideas into motion. Great research concepts and projects should break new ground and solve new and emerging business problems.